Still Small Voices
by Katherine Bristow
Summary: On a routine mission Skye comes in contact with an 084 with some very unexpected results. Now the team is left dealing with the consquences in the form of a very different Skye.
1. Chapter 1

Still Small Voices

Author's Notes: I do not own Agents of Shield or any of its character. I am also borrowing the title of this story from the lifetime movie "Still Small Voices" with Catherine Bell. An amazing movie that I highly recommend, but it has no bearing on the plot of this story, I just like the title. This story will contain mostly Sky and the team friendship/family elements and maybe some Philinda. Please read and review! I live for comments.

Chapter 1:

"Well, this mission has turned out to be boring as all hell" Skye complained for at least the sixteenth time.

Ward glanced at her, making a concentrated effort to control his temper, but today his rookie was making that an exceedingly difficult task. "Field work isn't always going to be fast paced and exciting, Skye. There's going to be times when a little patience will go a long way."

"Patience? Sorry, my patience ran out about 4 hours ago. We are looking for a needle in a haystack here. Actually, that would probably be easier, because at least then we would have an idea of what we were looking for." Skye plopped down onto one of the couches that occupied the massive living room she and Ward were in the process of searching, and just as quickly jumped up in disgust to wipe off the thin layer of grime that had settled over the furniture and now clung to her clothes.

"Well, Frank Scott wasn't really in the mood to be cooperative when SHIELD arrested him. We know he's been collecting alien artifacts for quite some time and its our job to make sure we find and secure any 084s he might have acquired, no matter how long it takes."

Skye sighed. "Well at this rate it will probably take weeks. This place is huge! And did you take a look at the garage? Frank Scott was not only a billionaire, he was also a hoarder."

"It would take a lot less time if you spent less time talking and more time scanning for anomalies." Ward said as he continued to scan the room with his hand-held device with military precision.

"You know, this would be so much easier if this guy kept any sort of records. There's got to be a computer in here somewhere, maybe Scott kept inventory records of what he had. Or better yet, a list of the top ten dangerous alien objects he owns with a handy map to their location. Hey" she shrugged when Ward glared at her "a girl can dream."

Ward sighed. "Well if you want to go and look for Scott's computer go ahead. I'll get more done without all of your blabbing anyway. Just don't forget our comms don't get reception in here, so if you need to get in touch..."

"I know, use the good old fashion walkie talkies" Skye interrupted, grabbing her canvas backpack and digging through it until she found the walkie. "You know it sure says something about technology when this guy managed to find a way to block cell signals and our comm signals in here, but these old things still work."

"Well just be glad they do." Ward replied, turning his focus back to the task at hand. Skye gleefully left him to his scanning as she practically skipped down the hall, grateful to be doing something different. After four hours she didn't think she would be able to handle one more second of the painfully slow process of scanning every inch of this mansion.

It wasn't until Coulson called him on the radio that Ward realized he had completely lost track of time. Skye was right, scanning every square foot of this house was boring as all hell, but without her constant chattering to distract him, Ward had managed to clear all the rooms on the first floor. "How did it go?" Ward asked as he joined Coulson and May in the front living room.

"Nothing of any interest in the basement." May replied.

"I found some rather interesting SHIELD antiques in the study on the 2nd floor, but nothing that needs to be contained." Coulson said.

"How'd things go in the garage?" Ward asked FitzSimmons as they trudged in the front door, looking tired and covered with dust.

"Oh, not too bad. Most of it was junk, but we managed to find a few Asgardian artifacts." Fitz replied. "

Did you find anything?" Simmons inquired.

Ward shook his head. "So far we haven't found anything that was really worthy of SHIELD making this a top priority."

Coulson shrugged. "Sometimes the intel is wrong. We still have the 3rd floor and the attic to look through tomorrow, so perhaps we will find something there." Coulson glanced around. "Where's Skye?" The other agents looked up, just noticing her absence.

"She was getting antsy, so I sent her off to look for a computer, to see if she could find any information about Scott's collection." Ward said. "It was a couple of hours ago, so she must have found one."

"Did she take a walkie?"Coulson asked. Ward nodded. "Skye, can you hear me?" Coulson called into the walkie. The only answer was a loud burst of static. Coulson didn't like that sound any more than he liked the feeling of dread that was settling over him.

"Maybe she's out of range." Simmons suggested hopefully.

Fitz shook his head. "These are long-range walkies, they should cover the whole house and then some. Not to mention, if Skye had found something she would have let us know, and if she hadn't she would have gotten bored and come back down here" The teammates glanced at each other with looks of dismay. After Skye's shooting they had each grown more protective of the young hacker, and the thought of her being in danger again had them all on edge.

"Alright, search the house" Coulson said, trying not to think about how the last time he gave that order ended with him finding Skye bleeding out on a dirty cellar floor.

TBC.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Alright. Here's the next chapter. Again, I don't own SHIELD or any of the characters.

The team spent almost an hour frantically searching the house when Simmons' voice came crackling over the walkie talkies. "Sir, I may have found something in the attic." The rest of the team rushed to join her, hoping that Simmons' discovery would lead to their missing teammate.

"Her backpack was just laying on the floor. Nothing is missing, and it doesn't really look like there was a struggle." Simmons told Coulson as he examined Skye's knapsack for any clues Simmons might have missed, while Ward and May began thoroughly searching the attic for any evidence of where the hacker had gone next. The large storage space was filled with furniture covered with dusty sheets and an exorbitant amount of clutter that looked like it hadn't been moved in decades. In fact, the entire attic looked as if no one had ventured there in months, maybe years.

"What on earth was Skye doing up here?" Fitz pondered as he stared at the junk filled room. "And where on earth did she go!" Simmons replied, trying to hold back her emotions as she worried about their missing friend.

Suddenly a loud beeping noise echoed throughout the attic. Everyone froze and turned towards the source of the noise, as Fitz grabbed the hand held scanning device out of his own backpack and examined the screen. "Guys, I'm getting pretty strong readings from something in this room. Definitely alien, and much stronger than anything else we encountered today."

"Well, this looks pretty alien to me. I think this might be what your picking up" Ward called out from the corner of the attic. The beeping increased to a fevered pitch as Fitz hurried over to examine Ward's discovery.

"What the...I've never seen anything like it." Fitz exclaimed as he stared at the mysterious object. A small gray box about the size of a mailbox was sitting rather innocuously on an old dusty pool table of all things. It appeared to be made of some sort of metal, and was covered in strange symbols. However, Fitz's excitement over the find was immediately dampened by what he saw on the object. "Sir, I think there is blood on this cube. Just a pinprick, but it looks like its fresh."

"Oh no," Simmons whispered, looking back at Skye's abandoned backpack. "You don't think..." Coulson quickly rushed over to examine the cube. It was only a drop of blood, but Coulson couldn't help but remember how it had only been the tiniest amount of blood on Quinn's hands that had alerted him that Skye was in trouble. Coulson took a deep breath, trying to remain calm.

"It doesn't look like she's here." May concluded, having completed a thorough search. "There aren't any other doors besides the one we came in, and the windows are painted shut. I'm not sure what our next move is" she said to Coulson. Even though she did her best to sound cool and professional, Coulson could tell she was just as confused and worried as the rest of them.

"We need more manpower. We need to search the house again, turn it upside down. Maybe headquarters has a satellite trained in the vicinity, and we can see if anyone has entered or exited the house since we got here" Ward said, trying to conceal his frustration and failing miserably. "I never should have let her wander off," he muttered angrily.

"I think right now our best bet is to take this object back to the bus and determine whose blood it is. That will tell us if there was someone else in the house recently." Simmons declared.

"I'm not so certain its wise to move it. Its got a pretty powerful energy signal" Fitz argued. "We have no idea what it is or what its capable of."

As Simmons and Fitz continued to examine the object and debate the best way to transport it back to the bus and test the blood sample without accidentally activating it, and May and Ward debated the likelihood of getting a high level SHIELD team assigned to help them find their missing 'consultant', who might mean a whole lot to them but was not a priority to SHIELD, Coulson found himself struggling to stay calm. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to erase the memories of Skye dying and refocus his attention towards finding her alive and unharmed. He managed to block out the argumentative tones of May and Ward and the fervent bickering of FitzSimmons, when suddenly he heard it.

"Quiet! Coulson hissed, effectively shutting the other agents up, who turned and stared at him in shock. Straining his ears, he listened, and there it was again, the faint snuffling sound of someone breathing. "Someone's here" he whispered, signaling to May and Ward to pull out their guns.

After a few moments of careful listening, Coulson was able to zero in on the source. He cautiously approached an old table that had been shoved into the corner of the attic, gesturing for May and Ward to cover him from each side. Coulson bent down, and slowly lifted away the dusty tablecloth, revealing two terrified brown eyes.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own MARVEL'S AGENTS of SHIELD.

Chapter 3:

Coulson tried to mask his shock as he stared at this most unexpected guest. "Shh, it's ok. No need to be scared" he whispered gently, gesturing for May and Ward to put away their weapons. "Why don't you come out of there." The eyes stared blankly back at him. Coulson reached his hand under the table, "Come on, it can't be very comfortable under there. I promise no one's going to hurt you."

After a few reluctant moments the small figure slowly crept out from under the table. The team stared in shock as a tiny girl came into view, her clothes covered in dirt and grime from the attic floor, her long brown hair pulled into a messy ponytail. The girl cautiously looked around at the strangers surrounding her and when she caught sight of May and Ward closing in on her she shrank back against the table.

"Don't worry, they aren't going to hurt you," Coulson reassured her, gesturing to Ward and May to back up. The girl sent them a wary look before returning her attention to Coulson. "My name is Agent Coulson, and my team and I are here looking for our friend who got lost. Are you lost too?" The little girl stared at him without responding. "Can you tell us your name? I'm sure that your parents are really worried about you."

Again the girl stared at Coulson without offering any sort of response. "Maybe she doesn't speak English, Sir" Ward suggested, studying the child.

Coulson frowned and observed the girl. "I think she can understand us just fine."

"Well maybe she can't talk yet. I had a cousin who didn't talk until he was three." At that the little girl let out a gasp of outrage and glared at Ward.

"I'm five and half, I'm not a stupid baby!" She announced indignantly.

Coulson hid a small smile. "Well I guess that answers two questions." He looked at the girl who was still glaring at Ward. "Can you tell us how you got here?" The little girl shook her head. "Do you know how long you've been here?"

The girl shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe a long time." She whispered.

At that Simmons let out a small cry of distress. "Oh, the poor thing. Why on earth would that man lock a child in his attic?" Simmons whispered to Fitz in horror. "I don't know, but I'd sure like to get my hands on him" Fitz whispered back.

"You must be thirsty. Would you like some water?" Coulson asked gently. The little girl hesitated before nodding.

Coulson gestured to Ward who pulled a bottle of water out of his backpack and handed it to the girl, who proceeded to greedily gulp down the bottle. Coulson patiently waited until the girl had finished her water before questioning her.

"Do you remember seeing anyone else up here in the attic with you? We can't find our friend and we think she came up here and left her backpack."

The little girl shook her head. "I haven't seen anyone at all."

"Well, can you tell us your name. That way we can find your parents and bring you home." Coulson asked.

The girl looked away. "I don't wanna" she mumbled.

"You don't want to what?" Coulson asked. "You don't want to go home? Or you don't want to tell us your name?" The little girl looked down at the floor, avoiding Coulson gaze. "Why don't you want to go home? I'm sure your family misses you very much."

"No they don't!" The girl glared at him defiantly.

Coulson sighed, his patience running thin. "Well, we have to know what to call you, don't we?"

"You can call me something else," she suggested. "Like a nickname!"

"We don't have time for this childish nonsense," May interrupted, glaring at the girl. "We have very important things to do, so you need to tell us your real name right now so that we can take you home to your family."

The little girl turned and glared at May, "I don't a family and I don't have a real name" she shouted. "Just the stupid one the nuns gave me and I hate it!" The child's lower lip trembled as she hovered on the verge of tears.

Coulson froze. "What nuns?" He asked urgently.

The little girl looked at him warily. "The ones from the orphanage." She whispered. "You're not gonna send me back to St. Agnes are you?" she asked, trying not to cry.

"St. Agnes?" Coulson asked, as he and May shared a look of shock.

The little girl nodded. "Are you gonna send me back?"

"I don't know about that right now. Can you please tell me your name?" Coulson urged. "It's very important."

The little girl considered Coulson's request for a long moment before she finally answered, "Margret. Margret Smith."

Coulson stared at the girl, taking in her brown hair and familiar features, trying to grasp what his subconscious was telling him. "But you don't like that name." Coulson said. The girl nodded. ""What is the name that you'd rather be called? Can you tell us that?" Coulson asked, fervently hoping the girl wasn't going to confirm his suspicions.

The little girl looked down at the floor again, "Do you promise you won't laugh? Tommy Jackson says it sounds stupid, cause it's not even a real name, but I like it anyway."

"I promise I won't laugh," Coulson said gently, hoping against all hope his hypothesis was wrong.

"Well," the little girl looked up at him with those familiar brown eyes, "could you call me Skye?"

TBC.

A/N:

Ok, so I know this has already been done a few times, but hopefully this will be a slightly different take on the concept. Please review!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own SHIELD.

A/N: Thanks for the wonderful reviews. Salkri Kachemench, thank you for the suggestion. I already have the beginnings of this story pretty much mapped out and while it won't have that exact scenario (although I mentioned the night night gun per request), I do plan on introducing a bit of what life was like in foster care for Skye.

Chapter 4

It had taken some convincing on Coulson's part to get the little girl to follow them back to the bus. _No, it isn't a school bus_ he had to explain over and over again. It's a good thing they hadn't brought a night night gun with them, otherwise May might have been tempted to use it instead of trying to bargain with a five year old. As soon as they made it back to the plane, FitzSimmons disappeared into the lab to try and get some answers, while the remaining team members gathered around the command center, their attention riveted to the video screen, watching as the little girl calmly colored a picture in the interrogation room.

"This has got to be a joke. There's no way that girl is Skye." Ward insisted.

"I highly doubt that Skye would orchestrate such an elaborate joke, Ward" Coulson replied drily.

"Well maybe Skye didn't. Maybe someone took her and left the girl to confuse us. Or maybe the girl was already there and decided to impersonate Skye." May rolled her eyes at Ward's faulty logic.

"If either of those scenarios were true than she wouldn't have known about St. Agnes" Coulson replied.

Ward mulled this over. "Is Skye's real name really Margret Smith?"

Coulson shrugged. "I don't know. She's never told us her real name, and she did a through job of scrubbing her identity a long time ago."

The three agents fell silent as Fitz and Simmons joined them in the command center. "What have you figured out?" Coulson asked the scientists, hoping there was an answer to all of this.

"I ran the test twice, Sir. The DNA is a match. There is no doubt about it, that little girl is Skye." Simmons replied, much to the dismay of the other agents. "The blood on the 084 was also Skye's. From what I can tell she must have touched it and cut her finger, which in turn activated the device."

"Activated it to do what?" Coulson asked. "Reverse the aging process? What would be the purpose of such a device?"

"Actually a device that could do that would be extremely valuable. A real fountain of youth! But I'm not convinced that this device simply reversed the aging process. It seems to have done a bit more than that. If it had simply made Skye younger she most likely would have retained her memories. Not to mention she would have been wearing the same clothes, although they wouldn't have fit anymore. Take a look at what she's wearing instead" Simmons gestured at the video screen. "I think her outfit is very telling in itself."

"What? Jeans and shirt with cartoon horses on it? How is that any different that what any other kid wears?" Ward scoffed.

Simmons rolled her eyes. "Look at those jeans. They are acid washed with a high waistline. And those hi top sneakers? Both are cassic 90s fashion."

"And that shirt isn't something that you would be able to find in stores anymore." Fitz interrupted. "That's a vintage My Little Pony shirt. They were a big deal in the 80s and early 90s, but back in 2010 they rebranded the franchise. The characters look completely different now. That shirt has to be at least ten years old, but it certainly doesn't look it."

The rest of the team stared at Fitz in confusion. "How exactly do you know the about the history of My Little Pony?" Ward questioned, trying not to smirk.

"Because I have two older sisters, and a seven year old niece" Fitz sputtered defensevly. "And I happen to be a pretty fun uncle, for your information."

"Anyway," Simmons interupted, "when you put it all together, I would have hypothesize that this is an actual outfit that Skye wore when she was five."

"So what you are saying is this is Skye from the past" May asked.

Simmons shook her head. "If that were the case then we would have likely have two Skyes instead of just little Skye. And any event that could breach the space-time continuum would have left a significant energy signature, which we didn't find."

"So what exactly do you think happened." Coulson asked.

"Somehow, Fitz and I think that when Skye touched the 084 it 'reverted' her back to her 5-year-old self, right down to the clothes she was wearing, using a combination of her DNA and her memories." "Almost like when a computer or a video game reverts to a previous save point." Fitz clarified.

"Why five?" May asked.

"We can't say for sure, but we suspect that the parameters were programmed into the machine by whoever last used it." Simmons answered.

"Is it reversible?" Coulson asked worriedly.

Simmons looked at Fitz. "I've never seen technology like this before. It's certainly not man-made or Asgardian, and there's nothing in the SHIELD databases that resembles the language written on the outside of the 084. Even with all the researchers at SHIELD working on this it might take years before we would fully understand it." Fitz said.

"But Fitz," Simmons interrupted as she came up with an idea, "you wouldn't have to fully understand it. We aren't trying to program it, we simply want to reverse the process." Fitz lit up, "That just might work. If I can find a way to extract the raw data from the 084 I should have enough information to recalibrate the machine and reverse it."

"Good. We can reach the Sandbox in a few hours and you'll have enough resources and researchers at your disposal to do this quickly"

Fitz grimaced. "I'm not sure if that's the best idea, Sir."

"Why not?"

"The Sandbox will want to run tests and do experiments on the 084. Fixing Skye won't be their top priority. We are only going to have one chance to reverse this, and if the machine is activated again all of the data will be gone. I'll have nothing left to work with."

Coulson sighed. "Alright. I'll radio headquarters. They aren't going to be happy about the delay."

"Well I can upload photos of the outside of the box, and they can start working on deciphering the language. Maybe even call up the Asgards for some help" Fitz suggested.

"That might buy us some time." Coulson agreed.

"What are we going to do about Skye in the meantime" Ward asked, looking at the video screen.

Coulson frowned. "Keep her out of trouble, I guess. Which might be more challenging than usual." He sighed. "Simmons do you think you might be able to..."

Simmons interrupted Coulson in horror. "Why are you looking at me? Why not Ward or Fitz? Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I'm good with kids. By that reasoning you might as well ask May..." Simmons broke off as May glared at her before heading off towards the cockpit. "I'm sorry, Sir but I've never been around kids. I don't think I'm the best one for the particular task."

Coulson cleared his throat. "I didn't mean to stereotype, or imply that you should assume sole responsibility for Skye. But she was hiding in that dirty attic for quite some time and I thought might be a good idea to get her cleaned up. I think you would agree it would be better for you to help her rather than me or Ward or Fitz."

"Oh." Simmons replied, flustered. Fitz and Ward looked away, embarrassed at the thought of helping 'mini Skye.' "Yes of course, I suppose that would be best."

"I'm sure a bath would be easier than a shower, so you can use the bathtub in my quarters. Obviously we don't have any other clothes for her here, but if you can find something for tonight we can get the ones she's wearing now washed, and we'll have to land tomorrow and pick up something for her wear until she's back to normal, hopefully sooner rather than later."

With a plan of action in mind, the team dispersed. Ward headed off to training room in the hopes of taking his mind off of what had happened to Skye, while Fitz went back down to the lab to get started on finding a way to fix Skye and Coulson retreated to his office to inform headquarters about their latest mission and the unexpected consequences, leaving an apprehensive Simmons to the task of taking care of Skye.

TBC.

A/N: Because I like having a clear picture in my head of the different characters and elemenst of any given story, in my stories I like to include some pictures of original characters and such to give it something extra. For this particular story I had a hard time finding photos of an child actress to potray 'mini' Skye, because I was looking for someone who was also half asian, like Chloe Bennet. The closest I managed to get was Skylar Roberge, who has Hawaiian with Chinese ancestry and played the part of young River Tam in an ep of Firefly and is probably about 7 in the photo I've linked below (although she's closer to 20 now). However, recently Chloe Bennet has also been posting a few pics of herself as a kid on her Instagram, and the most recent one totally was my inspiration for the ridiculously dated jeans mini Skye is wearing. I've also added a link to the My Little Pony shirt if anyone is interested.

qpicture artist/skylar-roberge/image-237744

instagram pmDadT913_T/#

ebay itm/Official-EXCLUSIVE-My-Little-Pony-Vintage-Scene-Jumper-from-Mr-Gugu-Miss-Go-/300976428435


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: SHIELD belongs to Marvel and ABC.

A/N:

With all of the craziness that is coming up with the next few episodes of SHIELD and CA:TWS, this story is becoming a complete AU. I have it set up that it is happening sometime after T.A.H.I.T.I, and am ignoring anything that might be coming about a potential traitor on the team **Spoilers ** I refuse to believe that May is evil and will not portray her as such even if it ends up being true ** End Spoilers **.

Chapter 5

Skye didn't offer any complaints when Simmons went into the interrogation room and told the girl she was going to bring her to get cleaned up. She also didn't talk as Simmons led her through the plane to Coulson's private quarters, but Simmons could tell that the little girl was taking in everything she saw. It wasn't until they got to Coulson's room that Skye uttered anything at all.

"Do all planes look like this?" She asked in a breathy whisper, so quiet Simmons almost didn't hear her.

"Oh, not at all" Simmons answered in surprise. "Most planes are rather small, and they rows and rows of seats. This is a special plane."

"How come you call it a bus?"

Simmons shrugged. "I don't know, that's just what we call it."

Simmons lead Skye into Coulson's room, trying to ignore how awkward it was being in her boss's private quarters. She ushered Skye into the bathroom and started filling up the tub, taking care that the water wasn't too hot or too cold. "Would you like some bubbles in your bath?" Simmons asked the child, as she fished through her personal shower caddy for soap and shampoo for Skye to use.

Skye looked at Simmons and simply shrugged. "I've never had bubbles in a bath before." She said.

Simmons looked at the girl in surprise. "Never had a bubble bath before? Why they were my absolute favorite when I was a kid. Would you like to give it a try?" Again Skye shrugged, so Simmons took it upon herself to add a generous amount of soap to the water. "Do you need me to help you? Maybe with washing your hair?" Simmons asked uncertainly, having never babysat or really spent time around kids at all she wasn't sure at what age kids stopped needing help with simple grooming tasks.

Skye shook her head. "I don't need any help, I'm not a baby." She insisted.

"Ok. Would you like me to wait outside until your done?" Simmons asked. Skye nodded. "Alright, then I'll just go and find something for you to wear, so that we can wash your clothes. If you need anything just let out a yell." Skye nodded again and Simmons stepped out of the bathroom, leaving both the bathroom and Coulson's bedroom door slightly ajar so that she would be able to hear if Skye needed anything.

Simmons went down the hall to Skye's bunk and dug through her dresser, hoping she would find something that the little girl could wear. Finally she settled on an extra small tee-shirt that would probably go down to the child's knees, and a pair of workout shorts with a drawstring waistband that would make a nice pair of capris. Satisfied that the clothes would do for now, she was headed back to check on Skye when she heard the girl cry out in pain.

"Skye, are you alright?" Simmons rushed back to Coulson's room and into the bathroom, where Skye crying, her hands covering her eyes. "Oh, there there, it's just a bit of soap," Simmons grabbed a wash cloth and cleaned the soap away from Skye's eyes. "Why don't you let me help you get the rest of that shampoo out of your hair, so you don't get it in your eyes again."

Skye allowed Simmons to rinse the rest of the soap out of her hair and even let the scientist help her wrap up in a big fluffy towel and help her out of the tub. "Thank you for the bubbles." Skye quietly whispered. "I liked them a lot."

Simmons smiled. "I'm glad. I brought you some clothes to wear for tonight. They are going to be big, but its all we have for right now. I'll wash your other clothes so they will be clean for you to wear tomorrow. Is that all right?"

Skye shrugged. "Hand-me-downs never fit right. I'm used to it."

Skye got dressed quickly without any complaints. Simmons wanted to laugh at the comical sight of the little girl swimming in the oversized clothes, at least until she thought about how her good friend had worn that same shirt just last week. _Oh Skye, I hope Fitz finds a way to fix you. _

Dinner with Skye was another adventure. It was Ward's night to cook, and she refused to even touch his stir fry concoction. Simmons tried to entice her with the many leftovers they had stacked in the fridge, while Coulson argued the merits of the Ward's philosophy "if the kid's hungry enough she'll eat." After twenty minutes of wheedling and coaxing Ward was frustrated, Coulson was worried, Simmons was out of ideas, and May was really wishing she'd taken her dinner up to the cockpit.

Simmons was just about to suggest bringing Skye down to the lab to see if there was a medical reason for her reluctance to eat when Fitz walked into the dining area. He took one look at the plates of untouched food in front of Skye and the exasperated expressions of his teammates and laughed. "Amateurs," he said, disappearing into the kitchen. Minutes later he returned with a plate, which he set in front of Skye.

Skye stared at the contents for a few seconds, before gingerly picking up the peanut butter and jelly sandwich that Fitz had made. "You made it look like a star" she said in surprise as she stared at the sandwich which had indeed been striped of the crusts and shaped to look like a star. The team watched in amazement as Skye proceeded to devour not only the sandwich, but also the applesauce and celery sticks that Fitz had covered with cream cheese and raisins. "

Seriously? How did you get her to eat that?" Ward asked.

Fitz shrugged. "I told you, I have a niece and two nephews. Kids aren't that difficult to deal with, you just gotta know what makes them tick."

"Whatever baby whisperer" Ward scoffed as he made a hasty retreat before someone roped him into helping with dishes, or worse, looking after mini Skye.

After dinner was finished and cleaned up, Simmons figured it was probably a good idea for Skye to go to bed "because kids need a bedtime, right?". It was decided that 'mini' Skye would sleep in her own bunk, but Coulson wanted to make sure that the little girl wasn't going to get into any of adult Skye's things, partly because he didn't want her to ruin anything of Skye's, and partly because he wasn't sure if Skye's belongings were particularly kid safe and he didn't want to risk the little girl getting into something she shouldn't. Simmons volunteered for this particular task, figuring her friend would prefer if she was the one going through her personal items as opposed to one of the guys. Since Fitz had disappeared back down to the lab to do some more analysis of the 084, and Ward and May had both made themselves scarce, Coulson found himself in charge of little Skye.

"Do you have kids?" Skye asked as she wandered around his office, checking out his vintage memorabilia.

Coulson resisted the urge to warn her not to touch anything, and instead answered her question. "No, I don't."

Skye gave him a sideways glance. "Then why do you have so many toys?"

Coulson sputtered. "They aren't toys. They are collectables. They're very important."

Skye wrinkled her nose. "They look like toys to me. Hey, I know that guy!" She exclaimed as she stared at a Captain America action figure, in full uniform with a replica shield.

"You do?" Coulson asked.

"Yeah. Tommy Jackson has a ton of Captain America comic books. He says he's the best superhero ever." Skye made a face.

"Don't tell me you don't like Captain America." Coulson said incredulously.

"Super heroes are stupid. They're just pretend." Skye said, somewhat sadly.

Coulson shook his head. "Superheroes are very real, Skye. Especially Captain America."

Skye gave him a disbelieving stare. "You trying to trick me."

Coulson shook his head again. "No I'm not. I've met Captain America. He's a real life superhero. He helped save New York City from some very bad people, and now everyone knows that superheroes are real."

Skye looked at Coulson with amazement, before looking back at the action figure. "A real life superhero" she whispered, staring at Captain America. For the next half hour she listened wide-eyed as Coulson told her stories of Captain America and Iron Man and the marvelous team called the Avengers, until Simmons came to collect her and bring her to bed.

"Agent Coulson wasn't kidding me, was he?" Skye asked Simmons as she brought the girl to her bunk. "There really are superheroes?"

"Oh, yes of course!" Simmons exclaimed. "They really are remarkable, and we get to work with them sometimes."

Skye jumped up onto the bed and took a moment to look around the small cubicle. "I know it isn't very big, but you should be fine in here. And my bunk is right over there" Simmons pointed.

Skye looked around thoughtfully. "Was this your friend's room? The one who got lost?" she asked quietly.

Simmons quickly glanced at the little girl. "Oh dear, you remembered about that?" She said. Skye nodded. "Well it uh, turns out that our friend wasn't really lost at all,"Simmons stammered. "She just had something to do and forgot to let us know she was going to be gone for a bit. But she'll be back soon, and I know she wouldn't mind if you stayed in her room until she got back." Skye nodded thoughtfully, not questioning Simmons explanation. "Do you um, want me to tuck you in?" Simmons offered, but Skye shook her head and wiggled underneath the covers.

"Hey, what's this?" Skye asked as she pulled something white and lumpy out from underneath the pillow. "Hey this is mine!" She exclaimed as she stared at white stuffed bunny rabbit in her hands. Simmons stared at the well-loved rabbit who had clearly seen better days in surprise; she obviously had missed this when she had collected all of Skye's belongings. "Where did you get this!" Skye demanded, glaring at Simmons as if she knew the scientist was keeping secrets from her.

"I um, I think that Agent Coulson said he found that in the attic, where we found you. He wanted to make sure that you had it. It uh, looks like it's a very special rabbit." Simmons stammered, trying not to be intimidated by a glaring five-year old.

Skye examined the rabbit while she considered the veracity of Simmons claim. "I think Mimsy got dirty in the attic" she said as she looked at the rabbit, who was definitely dingy in places.

"If you want I can take a look in the morning. Perhaps we can clean it up a bit." Simmons offered kindly. Skye nodded, clutching the rabbit to her chest as she lay down. "Goodnight, Skye." Simmons whispered, as she turned out the light.

"Good night," the little girl whispered back.

Meanwhile in the cockpit, Coulson was debriefing May on his conversation with headquarters earlier in the day. "So they agreed to give us time to examine the 084 and get Skye back to normal just like that?" May asked, a bit skeptically.

"Well, I did have to remind them we've been taking on back to back missions for months without any down time. They're going to send another team to finish scanning Frank Scot's house, and they're going to give us two weeks, which will give them some time to contact Asgard and try to get a translation for the photos Fitz sent them."

"So if we aren't going to headquarters, are we planning on parking the plane here for two weeks?"

Coulson shook his head. "I'd rather not stay in one place. With organizations like Centipede out there looking to acquire alien tech, I'd rather not take any chances with an 084 on board. I figure tomorrow night we can take off and spend the next two weeks in the air."

"Why tomorrow instead of right now?"

"Because Skye is going to need some clothes and things to keep her busy until Fitz can change her back, so tomorrow I'm having Simmons take her to the closest mall. And I'd like for you to go with them."

"Me?" May asked in shock. "Why do you need me to go?"

"So you can make sure it's an uneventful trip. I want to cover all the bases. Make sure they stay safe, and that nothing out of the ordinary happens." May looked at Coulson skeptically. "Ward reminded me today how I've never seen Skye's file from her time in foster care. As far as we know she's never exhibited any powers, but we really can't be sure. Children are less likely to have control over their powers. Not to mention the Clairvoyant is still out there along with dozens of other people who would love to get their hands on an 084 who's been transformed by another 084. I want you to go along and keep an eye out, just in case something happens."

"Makes sense." May admitted, "but you can't go yourself because?"

Coulson smiled. "Because I'm the boss and I don't particularly want to spend a day at the mall."

May rolled her eyes and sighed. "A whole day of shopping with a Simmons and a hyperactive child? You are so going to owe me."

TBC.

Please review!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Agents of Shield belongs to Marvel and ABC.

Chapter 6:

The next morning Simmons woke up to find the door to Skye's bunk ajar and the room empty. Trying not to panic she set off in search of the small girl, hoping she hadn't gotten into any trouble. Simmons finally found her in the dining area, absently stirring a bowl of cereal. A chair had been pulled over to the counter and the cupboard doors were wide open. "You should have come and woken me, Skye. I would have gotten you breakfast" Simmons gently chastised the girl.

Skye shrugged indifferently. "I can take care of myself," she insisted. "You know your cereal doesn't taste very good." she said, wrinkling her nose in distaste.

Simmons looked at the box of granola Skye had left on the counter. "No, I guess you wouldn't like that. Would you like me to make you something else? Eggs? Or how about I make you some homemade pancakes? Do you like pancakes?" Skye stared at Simmons blankly. "Don't tell me you've never had pancakes!" Simmons exclaimed.

Skye shook her head and said quietly, "Sometimes we got pancakes at St. Agnes, but they were the frozen kind, not homemade."

"Well then that settles it. I'll make pancakes. And you can tell me what kinds of things you like to eat, because it's Agent Ward's turn to go grocery shopping, so I'll make a list of things for him to pick up when he goes."

Skye watched in fascination as Simmons proceeded to make a stack of pancakes, which the girl quickly devoured. "Wow, you really were hungry," Simmons commented. "It's a good thing you ate a good breakfast because we have a big day today."

Skye looked at Simmons warily. "Am I going back?" she asked quietly.

"Back? Back where? Oh! No of course not. We are going shopping to get you some new clothes and such."

Skye looked at Simmons in amazement. "You mean I get new clothes! Not hand me downs? And they're just for me?"

Simmons looked at the little girl, her _friend, _with surprise. She had never really thought about how different Skye's childhood had been from her own, and now she couldn't help feeling sad for her. "Yes, brand new clothes, just for you."She confirmed, taking in Skye's big smile and her brown eyes lit up with excitement, amazed that something so simple and ordinary brought the little girl such joy.

Coulson knocked loudly on the door of the cockpit and entered before May had a chance to answer. "You know there's no need to be in here when we aren't flying." May didn't bother responding.

"Simmons and Skye are already in the van waiting," he told her. "I gave Simmons a SHIELD credit card, try and make sure she doesn't rack up a huge bill" he joked. May didn't answer, and made no move to vacate the pilot seat. "Everything ok?" Coulson asked. "You seem quieter than usual."

May sighed. "I think this is a bad idea."

"What, the shopping trip? Or making you go?"

May looked at Coulson, her expression inscrutable. "Kids and me are a bad idea. They don't like me."

Coulson opened his mouth to argue, but thinking it over he found he didn't have any evidence to the contrary. Over the years he'd never really seen Melinda interacting with children. The Boy Scouts they had encountered had been terrified when May had questioned them, even with her attempts at being pleasant. He had heard that she had made Mike Peterson's son Ace hysterical when she tried to question him after his kidnapping, although the boy had just watched his father die and was surrounded by strangers, which was hardly May's fault. "I don't think that's true, " Coulson said. "And regardless, I'm not asking you to turn into Mary Poppins. Simmons will take care of Skye, you're just there for backup. Don't think of her as a kid, just think of her as a very short protectee. I'm sure it'll be fine."

May sighed and reluctantly stood up. "This had better be quick" she said, heading down to the cargo bay.

* * *

Shopping with Skye was certainly a unique experience. The girl was utterly fascinated with the mall. To be fair it was a rather impressive mall, scaling three stories and hosting hundreds of stores, but May got the impression the child would have been equally enthralled at a tiny strip mall. It didn't seem as though she'd had much experience with shopping. As they navigated their way through the mall their progress was painfully slow because of Skye constantly stopping to stare at window displays, trying to take everything in at once.

Trying on clothes had not been nearly as tedious as May had anticipated. While adult Skye was loud and opinionated, little Skye seemed quiet and shy. She tried on the clothes Simmons picked out without complaint, eager for the attention the scientist was giving her. The only problems arose when it came time to make a decision. Simmons would inevitably ask "do you like this shirt" or "do you want these shoes" and Skye would grow quiet and shrug her shoulders as she stared down at the floor, regardless of how much she had appeared to like the item in question. Even when they went to the toy store to pick out some things to keep the child occupied there had been no whining or begging for toys. May found this unsettling. Not that she wanted to deal with a tantrum in the middle of the mall but at least it would have been expected behavior. Particularly when adult Skye was not above whining to get her way. Instead Skye had been reluctant to pick out anything, even when Simmons had told her to choose whatever she wanted. In the end Simmons had simply chosen for her, throwing a few games and puzzles and books into the cart along with some Barbie dolls, a Lego set, and a box of assorted action figures that Skye had been examining, which resulted in a wide smile.

* * *

Throughout the shopping trip Skye had been exceptionally well-behaved , but as the day wore on she became tired and impatient.

"Are we done yet" she whined as they stood at the end of a very long line. "My feet hurt!"

"Almost" Simmons replied, "we just have to pay for this and then I have to stop at the chemist and pick up some allergy meds for Fitz and then we will be all set."

Skye let out a huff as she bounced back and forth. Even someone as inexperienced around kids as May could tell the child was at her breaking point.

"Perhaps it might be a good idea if you and Skye started back to the van" Simmons suggested. "I' ll pay for this and grab what I need to get for Fitz and meet you there."

May balked at the idea of being alone with the girl, but she certainly saw the wisdom of it. Any longer and Skye was certain to have a meltdown. So leaving Simmons with the remaining purchases (having already carried their bags from the morning to the car at lunchtime May and Skye began the long trek back through the mall towards the parking lot.

"How much further" Skye asked as she struggled to keep up with May's pace.

"A while." May replied curtly.

Skye sighed. "This is a really big place."

"Yes it is" May agreed, "so don't wander off."

The mall was beginning to get crowded as kids were getting out of school and their parents out of work. May was distracted by the ringing of her cell. Coulson. "Hello" she answered.

"Well what do you know, you've survived so far" Coulson's voice echoed from her phone, sounding way to chipper for May's liking. "Are you planning on returning any time soon?"

"We're almost on our way. Simmons had one more stop to make." May replied.

"Glad to hear it. See I told you it wouldn't be that bad."

May grumbled. "Well then next time I think you should volunteer to take them, Sir."

Coulson was still snickering when she hung up on him. That man thought he was so _funny! _May sighed and rolled her eyes before turning to Skye, intending to urge the girl to pick up the pace so they could get out of this godforsaken mall already. But when she looked beside her where moments before the little girl had been walking, Skye was gone.

TBC.


	7. Chapter 7

**_Important A/N Please Read:_**So with everything going on in the Marvel world right now (CAP2 was awesome!) There are obviously some major changes ahead. This story is going to stay AU following TAHITI. I won't be addressing anything that happened in CA:TWS, or what is coming up in show, especially if one of our beloved character turns out to be dare I say it evil. The characters will be portrayed based on my perceptions of them during the first half of the season. That being said, I have written a few major upcoming chapters in this story, and I have a solid idea of where it is going and where it will end, but I am looking for some things to add, so if you readers have any ideas you'd like to share I'd be more than happy to hear them and potentially incorporate some of them. I am going to try and write as many chapters between now and tomorrow (although I won't be posting them all at once) because I have a funny feeling that what is coming up for AOS will potentially **_break my heart,_**and I may lose all will to live (oops I meant write!). As always please review!

* * *

Chapter 7

May's first thought was 'Coulson is going to kill me.' That was almost immediately overridden by the overwhelming horror of what had just occurred. She had lost a child. She had lost _Skye! _For a moment all of her training left her, and all she was left with was gut wrenching terror.

May was no stranger to fear, but somehow this was different. She felt the steel thread of control she had over her emotions unravel, making way for utter panic. All she could think about was all of the terrible things that happened to lost children, the terrible people who snatched children and were never found.

After what seemed like hours, but in reality had been maybe a few short seconds, some semblance of her training kicked in. May whirled around, scanning the crowds behind her, hoping to see some evidence of where the girl had gone. Almost immediately she spotted a small figure, barely 20 yards behind her, with her nose pressed to the glass of a store front window.

Instantly relief flooded through May. Followed swiftly by anger, both at herself for panicking, and Skye for vanishing. Quickly she marched over to Skye and grabbed her by the arm.

"I told you not to wander off" she hissed.

Skye stared up at May in sheer terror. "I'm sorry," she whimpered, her lower lip trembling.

Instantly May cursed her harsh reaction. She hadn't meant to make the girl cry. And in all fairness, Skye hadn't wandered off, she had simply stopped walking to stare in to the store window, just as she had done all morning. It was _May's_ fault that she was too wrapped up with her conversation with Coulson to notice.

"Please, I'm really sorry, I just wanted to look at it. I didn't mean to be bad" Skye begged, close to tears.

May relaxed her grip on Skye's arm and said in a what she hoped was a gentler tone, "I didn't mean to startle you, Skye. I just don't want you to get lost."

From the wary look Skye gave her it was clear she wasn't reassured, but at least she didn't look like she was about to cry anymore. May sighed and wondered if she was going to have to call Simmons to come and mitigate the damage May had done, when suddenly she caught sight of the store display that had distracted Skye.

"Is that what I think it is?" She questioned, looking at the advertised object in surprise. Once again distracted, Skye turned her attention from May back to the window.

"It's a Captain America bear," she whispered in awe as she stared into the store with wide eyes. "Agent Coulson and Jemma said he's a real superhero, who saves people and everything!"

May studied the small girl, who seemed to have forgotten her terror in lieu of the marvelous toy in front of her. For reasons she couldn't explain May found herself asking the girl "Would you like to get one?"

Immediately Skye turned to look at May, her eyes wide with surprise and excitement. However, almost instantly that excitement vanished, and Skye looked down at the ground. "It's too expensive," she whispered.

May scoffed. "I highly doubt that. Certainly not compared to what Simmons just spent on clothes and everything else. _Do you want it_?" May couldn't understand why the girl was so reluctant to speak up, especially when it was so obvious that she wanted the toy, to the point where she was fairly quivering with longing. This wasn't the Skye that they knew, and for some reason that made May mad. "Come on," she said, grabbing on to Skye's arm and leading the girl into the store.

* * *

May and Skye stood in front of the large bins inside the store with twin looks of confusion on their faces.

"These don't look like the bear in the window," Skye said quietly.

May had to agree. In fact the bins stuffed full of the outer skins of teddy bears looked more like the stuff of childhood nightmares.

"Can I help you?" A pimply faced teen came over to the pair, his employee vest proudly displaying the name "Kevin".

Skye quietly asked "What's wrong with the bears?" as she held up one of the skins.

The kid looked at Skye and May in confusion. "Uh, nothing's wrong with them. They just haven't been stuffed yet. You have to stuff them yourself. This _is _Build-a-Bear."

May looked at the kid in surprise. "Do you mean to tell me that people actually pay to _stuff _their own stuffed animals?" The kid nodded uncertainly. "That's ridiculous! Why would anyone pay for that? What a waste of time!"

May would have walked out right then and there, but then she caught sight of Skye's face. Disappointment was etched all over the little girl's face. Disappointment that was mingled with a sort of hopelessness that took May by surprise. As if the girl had suffered too much disappointment in her short life to even expect anything else. May felt a headache coming on as she sighed and pursed her lips.

"What do we have to do?"

After twenty minutes and three missed calls from Simmons, May and Skye were headed back to the van. Skye had a large smile on her face as she clutched her new Captain America bear, complete with uniform and shield, and even May couldn't conceal a small smile as she looked at the beaming child.

* * *

"So you survived" Coulson said as he met the three weary shoppers in the cargo bay.

"I'd say the trip was a success. I think we got everything Skye will need for the next few weeks," Simmons replied with a smile.

"Is that what I think it is?" Coulson asked Skye as he stared at the bear in her arms.

"It's Captain America!" she exclaimed excitedly. "Agent May got him for me!" Coulson looked up at May in surprise. "She did?"

Skye nodded vigorously. "We had to put all the stuffing in him and pick out his uniform. And then you get to name him! Did you know that Captain America's real name is Steve Rogers?"

Coulson was still staring at May in amusement when Skye ran off to help Simmons put her new clothes in her bunk.

"So, you went to Build-a-Bear?" he asked, barely containing his mirth.

May looked at him in surprise. "How on earth do you know about Build-a-Bear?"

Coulson shrugged. "I listen at work. Actually take an interest in others lives. Sitwell had to take his niece and a bunch of five year olds there for a birthday party. Complained about it for days. Tell me, did they make you spin around and make a wish before putting the heart in?" he teased.

"Shut up, Phil," May grumbled.

"No I really want to know" he laughed.

May rolled her eyes. "You're just jealous because we didn't get you one too." And with that May disappeared into the cockpit, leaving an amused and slightly jealous Coulson behind.

TBC.

A/N: So Captain America Build a Bear? That's a thing! Here's the link to the bear sans uniform and one with the bear 'suited up.' Just delete spaces.

comicbook . com blog/2014/02/12/captain-america-spider-man-get-new-build-a-bears/

www. buildabear. com shopping/store/16-in.-Captain-America-Bear/productId=prod11140177


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own Agents of Shield. If I did Turn, Turn, Turn would have ended differently.

A/N: This story is an AU and will not be dealing with any of the plot revelations that have come to light in the show, or may be coming in the upcoming episodes. Sorry it took so long to update (this chapter gave me some problems). I hope to have the next one up in a few days, provided tonight's ep doesn't leave me too upset to write!

Chapter 8:

To say that shopping had left her feeling exhausted would have been a gross understatement. Simmons felt utterly drained when they got back to the plane. Skye on the other hand seemed to have gotten a second wind. She was excited about her new clothes and her new toys, and wanted to open everything and try on all the clothes again. Simmons didn't have the heart or the energy to refuse her, so for about a half an hour she was treated to a mini runway show as Skye modeled her new wardrobe in different (an often hilarious) combinations.

Finally Skye grew tired of that and Simmons managed to convince the girl to sit still long enough to read her a story. From Skye's surprised reaction to Simmons suggestion, and her undivided attention throughout the entire story, Simmons wondered if anyone had ever read to her before. Again she felt a pang of sorrow for the childhood Skye must have had. Simmons couldn't imagine growing up without the love and support she had received from her parents, especially as an only child. At least in this moment Simmons had the opportunity to give this version of Skye some love and attention. For the next hour they sat together, reading book after book, until Ward came and got them for dinner.

Coulson's night to make dinner usually consisted of elaborate gourmet dishes that everyone would rave about (except for that time the menu consisted of foie gras mixed with onions and figs), so to say the team was surprised by his choice of cuisine this evening was an understatement.

"Hot dogs? Sir?" Ward wondered.

"Don't forget baked beans, potato salad, and fruit salad." Coulson said as he carried the dishes to the table, ignoring the scrutinizing looks from his colleagues. "Skye told Simmons she liked hot dogs."

Ward stared at Coulson. "So you make the kid her own hot dog. Why are we all eating them too?"

Coulson turned to Ward. "Do you have something against hot dogs, Agent Ward?"

"Well no, but I..."

"Good," Coulson interrupted. "Kids shouldn't have special meals, adults just need to be attuned to their unrefined palettes. I read that somewhere I think. Or maybe I watched it on Oprah. Or Rachel Ray."

Everyone sat down to eat, and in spite of his complaints, Ward helped himself to two of the so-called 'offensive' hot dogs. Simmons made up a plate for Skye without even thinking about it (apparently she had some sort of latent maternal instincts after all) but Skye just stated at her plate, without making a move to eat. Simmons looked at girl and sighed. "Skye, you said you liked hot dogs. What's wrong?"

Skye looked at Simmons and then looked back at her plate, struggling to articulate what was bothering her. Finally she whispered, "that's not hot dogs" nervously awaiting Simmons response, as if she had done something wrong.

"What do you mean? I can assure you those are hot dogs." Simmons replied, confused.

Skye shook her head. "They aren't shaped right."

Surprisingly it was Ward who figured it out first and grabbed Skye's plate. In seconds he had ditched the hot dog bun and sliced the hot dog into dozens of bite size pennies, adding a huge glob of ketchup to her plate for dipping.

"There you go, kid" Ward said as he replaced the plate in front of the little girl.

Skye smiled brightly and proceeded to devour the entire contents of her plate, even asking for seconds of the fruit. All in all the meal was a success, even among the 'more refined' adults.

That night when Simmons put Skye to bed, the little girl shyly gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, to Simmons' complete surprise. Adult Skye had never been particularly open to displays of affection (except after near death experiences), and until now it had seemed that little Skye shared that trait. "Thank you for getting me new clothes and reading me stories" the little girl whispered shyly.

Simmons smiled warmly at the child. "You are very welcome. Sleep tight."

When Skye woke up the next morning the first thing she noticed was the floor felt funny. She got up and dressed herself in one of the new outfits that the nice lady, Jemma had picked out for her, trying not to wobble as the floor seemed to vibrate under her feet. Clutching her Captain America bear, Skye cautiously opened the door to the bunk and ventured out into the common area.

Almost immediately Skye noticed the clear blue expanse outside the windows of the bus. With wide eyes Skye climbed onto a chair next to a porthole and stared out the window to where the ground should be. Instead all she saw was clouds. Skye quickly looked away, squeezing her bear tightly and pulling her knees to her chest; wavering between awe and terror.

"Good morning, Skye," Agent Coulson appeared from his office, startling the small girl.

She tore her attention away from the window to focus on Coulson as he sat down next to her. "Have you ever flown in an airplane before?" Skye shook her head. Coulson had figured as much. As the clouds broke apart Coulson pointed towards the ground below "right now we are flying over Iowa. If you look really closely you can see the fields of corn. They look like little tiny postage stamps but they are actually really big."

Skye looked down at the far away ground in amazement, before turning her attention back to Coulson. "That's really far." She said quietly. "Why do we need to be so high?"

"Well, the air up here is not as heavy as the air that is near the ground, so it helps the airplane fly better." Skye bit her lip and considered this.

"What if something happens and we fall?" she finally asked.

Coulson smiled reassuringly. "That won't happen. This is the very best plane there is, and Agent May is the very best pilot." Skye considered this for a moment before relaxing into her seat, reassured.

"Are you hungry? I can make you some breakfast," Coulson offered.

"You don't have too. I can do it myself," Skye said, stubbornly independent.

"Ok good. Then why don't you come and help me" Coulson replied, leading the girl into the kitchen.

Twenty minutes later May walked in to find the kitchen area a mess and Coulson and Skye eating at the table. She glanced at the dirty dishes covered with half-cooked eggs with disapproval. "We ran into some trouble making omelets. Took a couple of tries, but Skye managed to make one all by herself." Coulson smiled proudly, and Skye gave him a small smile in return. May just rolled her eyes.

"Do you want us to make you one too, Agent May?" Skye asked hesitantly.

"No, thank you." May curtly replied, grabbing an apple and heading back to the cockpit.

Skye's face fell a little as the older woman left. "May isn't really a morning person" Coulson said, not wanting the girl to think May's attitude had anything to do with her. "Or an afternoon person, or evening person I guess. Why don't we get start cleaning up. I'll wash and you dry." Skye gave Coulson a small smile, and together they washed the breakfast dishes, managing to get themselves a little bit soggy in the processes.

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own Agents of Shield, however mini Skye is totally mine!

Chapter 9

Over the next few days the team developed a new routine as they all adjusted to life with a high maintenance five-year old. With no new missions to occupy their time, Headquarters suddenly found plenty of paperwork for the team members to complete. Meanwhile the bulk of the responsibility of taking care of Skye seemed to fall to Simmons and Coulson. 'Mini Skye', as Fitz had taken to calling her during his rare breaks from the lab, was certainly timid and shy, but as she became more comfortable on the bus and the team it was obvious that she was also highly excitable and full of childish energy with no suitable outlet.

Simmons had never realistically thought of what life would be like with kids, although she did have this one fantasy of coming home after a successful day of research to find curly-haired twins performing science experiments together and building robots and boasting about who would win the next science fair, their lilting accents a perfect mixture of Scottish and British (which she tried hard not to read too much into). Instead, Simmons found that life with a child (or at least with Skye) was a never-ending battle to keep her occupied and engaged in constructive activities, lest the child uttered the dreaded words "I'm bored" and her boredom resulted in 'naughty shenanigans' such as drawing pictures in permanent marker on the bar (which had taken forever for to scrub off) or playing around with the holotable in the command center (which had very nearly resulted in classified materials being leaked onto the internet). As much as Simmons enjoyed playing Barbies with the little girl, or observing her unadulterated joy during 'storytime', by day three, Simmons wasn't certain if she was cut out for full-time child care.

Ward walked into the living commons to find it surprisingly quiet. Simmons was reading a magazine, and 'little Skye' was curled up in a chair by one of the windows, intensely focused on the small device in her hands. "Where's Coulson?" he asked, looking around in confusion.

"Oh, Ward! I'm so glad you are here." Simmons exclaimed, casting the magazine she was reading aside.

Ward glanced at her strangely. "I'm here because you told me Coulson wanted to see me."

"Well," Simmons made a face, "I _might _have stretched the truth a bit, actually a lot. _I _wanted to see you. You see, I was hoping that maybe you might be able to stay here in the common room and keep an eye on Skye for a bit."

Ward raised his hands in protest, "No way. Not going to happen. I am not babysitting material."

Simmons rolled her eyes and dragged Ward out of earshot of little Skye. "And I do look like a babysitter to you? How about Coulson? We both have plenty of paperwork that we could be doing, reports to write, research to be done. In fact I should be down in that lab helping Fitz, but instead Coulson and I have been shouldering the entire responsibility of Skye for the past three days, while you and May have been actively avoiding her like the plague. Not that it hasn't been fun being around little Skye, she really is a sweet kid, but I have things that I need to be doing, and so does Coulson. So please Ward, I am asking you as a friend and teammate if you would please do your share and watch Skye!"

"But, I don't see you asking May," he responded, in an almost whine. Simmons shot him a look. "If you want to go tell May she needs to do her part, be my guest. I for one will leave that to Coulson's discretion."

Ward grimaced. He certainly did not want any part of _that _conversation. "Well what am I supposed to going to do with her?" he said reluctantly.

"You don't have to do anything. She has been playing quietly for the last hour, you just need to make sure she doesn't get into trouble."

Ward took a closer look at Skye, and the device that was the focus of her undivided attention. "Is that what I think it is?"

"You mean Skye's phone? Why yes it is." Simmons replied.

Ward made a face. "Should she really be playing with that?"

Simmons shrugged. "I don't see why not. Skye loves technology. Mini Skye is certainly having fun learning how to use some of the games adult Skye had on it, and if she breaks it, well... she can only blame herself. Besides, I'm running out of ideas to keep her busy. Now, I'll be down in the lab if you have any problems, but please only come and get me if it's an emergency. And try to keep her from making too much noise, Coulson's on a conference call with Headquarters." Finished with her flurry of instructions, Simmons makes a hasty retreat, leaving Ward with the uneasy feeling that he's been dropped behind enemy lines, with no backup and no plan.

It isn't even ten minutes after Simmons disappears that Ward feels a small finger jabbing him in the arm. "Yes?" he asks the small girl who is now standing next to him, an expectant look on her face.

"I'm bored," she whispers, handing him the cell phone which she is clearly done with.

Ward feels the internal grip of panic. "Bored? You can't be bored. How about we just find you another game to play," he grabs the phone and searches through the apps.

Skye shakes her head. "Don't wanna play with it any more. I wanna do something different," she glares at him, clearly waiting for him to _do something._

Ward desperately wants to drag her down to the lab and hand her back to Simmons, but he doubts boredom qualifies as an emergency. In fact he's fairly certain Simmons would simply glare at him and refuse to help (or worse, report his failure to Coulson). "Well, what would you want to do? It looks like you've got lots of great toys over there. How about you go and play with some of those?"

Skye shakes here head again. "I've already played with all of those toys! I want to do something else. I wish I could go outside and play!"

Ward scoffed. "Well, that's not going to happen, not at 30,000 feet."

Skye crossed her arms and glared at him. He could just feel some sort of tantrum coming on if he couldn't come up with a decent activity to occupy the child. Feeling desperate, Ward wracks his brain for an idea of something, _anything_ that he might be able to do keep Skye occupied. Suddenly an idea comes to mind that just might hold the little girl's attention (and who knows, might even help adult Skye when they figured out how to get her back to normal).

It was almost dinner time by the time Coulson finishes his call with headquarters and exits his office. Immediately he catches a glimpse of the 'activity' that was occurring in the common area.

"Now you want to make sure that your foot reaches all the way up to where my hand is, but you also want to make sure that you aren't unsteady on your other foot. You don't want to fall over" Ward instructed as little Skye executed a high kick towards his hands. "Good. Now go back to the ready position."

Skye obediently assumes said position with a smile on her face. Coulson let out a small cough, alerting the two of his presence.

"Agent Coulson, did you see what I can do?" Skye asked excitedly.

Coulson forced a fake smile. "Yes I did. It's almost dinner time, why don't you go and wash up? Agent Ward, why don't you come up to my office so we can talk."

As Skye ran off to get ready for dinner, Ward climbed the stairs with a sense of dread, wondering what on earth he could have done to piss off his boss.

"What exactly did you think you were doing down there!" Coulson turned to Ward angrily.

"Simmons asked me to watch Skye. I was just doing her a favor." Ward replied defensively.

"Did she ask you to teach a five-year old how to fight? Did you really think that was appropriate?" Coulson was livid. The last time Ward had been on the receiving end of Coulson's anger was after he had found out about his relationship with May.

Ward paused. "I, uh, I don't know, Sir. I guess I didn't really think about it. She was bored and I don't really know how to entertain kids. Plus she really needed to do something physical to get out all of that excess energy after being cooped up in this plane for days. And don't kids take karate all the time? I wasn't showing her anything that could get her hurt." Ward hung his head, ashamed.

Coulson sighed. He couldn't fault the young man for his lack of experience with children. Or the fact that Coulson felt even more protective over the child version of Skye then the adult one (which was saying a lot in itself). "Well, I suppose it wouldn't be a bad idea for Skye to get some sort of exercise," Coulson conceded. "But you would have to remember that this is a _child_ you are dealing with, not a recruit. Everything you taught her has to be age appropriate. And you definitely shouldn't be teaching her karate in the middle of the common room."

Ward found himself agreeing with Coulson's recommendations, wondering how on earth he had gone from being chastised by his boss to practically being ordered to become mini Skye's karate Sensei. "And Ward, if she gets hurt..." Ward swallowed nervously at Coulson's implicit threat.

"Don't worry Sir. I'll make sure that doesn't happen."

"Good."

TBC.

Please Review!


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: I don't own Agents of SHIELD...if I did it would already be renewed for Season 2 and beyond!

Chapter 10

The bus was unnaturally silent, and the silence bothered Ward. A few days ago he would have revealed in the silence, but ever since the appearance of 'mini' Skye, the bus was constantly filled with the sounds of a child, and complete silence was rare, and more than a little disconcerting. Finding no sign of the team or Skye in the common room or kitchen area, Ward ventured down to the lab, wondering if there had been a breakthrough (since mini Skye was banned from the lab, in order to prevent any more accidental interactions between her and the 084). However, when Ward entered the lab it was clear that there was certainly no science being performed.

"Ward, what are you doing here!" Fitz yelped when he caught sight of the specialist, his face contorting into a look of shock and embarrassment. Skye and Simmons smiled up at Ward from their seats on the floor if the lab.

"I think the better question is what the heck are you doing" Ward replied as he took in the bizarre scene in front of him.

"Haven't you ever been to a tea party before, Agent Ward?" Simmons asked impishly.

Ward shook his head as he surveyed their 'tea party.' A tea-pot and cups were set up in front of Simmons, Fitz, and Skye, as well as plates with the remains of sandwiches and cookies. Two extra places were also set in front of the Captain America bear and a baby doll that Simmons must have purchased for Skye on their shopping trip.

"No I've never been to a tea party. I didn't realize they had such an 'elaborate' dress code" he smirked, taking in the ridiculous outfits the trio was wearing.

"Of course you hafta dress up for a tea party!" Skye insisted, "you hafta pretend to be someone else!"

Ward nodded sagely. "Oh, I did not no that. Well then, who are you?"

Skye smiled brightly. "Princess Skye" she giggled, as she twirled around, showing off a blue party dress, decorated with black lace trim around the hem and waist. Obviously bought during the shopping trip, although Ward couldn't fathom why Simmons would have thought a fancy dress was a necessity. The same could have been said about the sparkly tiara that Skye was wearing on her head.

"Princess of what country?" he asked, going along with the game.

Skye giggled. "I'm not the princess of a country. I'm the princess of the Moon!"

"Oh I see. Are you a princess too, Agent Simmons," Ward teased, watching the scientist blush in mild embarrassment.

"No, she's the Duchess of York." Skye answered for the scientist.

"Where'd you find the ball gown?" Ward asked. Simmons was wearing a floor length green dress, complete with elbow length white gloves. She, however, did not have on a tiara.

"Apparently we have quite a few 'costumes' in the wardrobe on board. I suppose they are in case we needed undercover outfits."

"And what exactly are you supposed to be?" Ward turned to Fitz.

Simmons and Skye had obviously gotten into the fancy 'princess' tea party mindset, but Fitz's outfit didn't fit at all. He was wearing jeans and a leather vest and a cowboy hat, with green pipe cleaners sticking out of the top of the hat. Almost like tiny antennas.

"Well, if you must know I'm a space cowboy."

Ward could barely contain his mirth. "What the heck is a space cowboy?"

"A space cowboy travels all over outer space, but instead of herding cattle they herd meteors" Skye informed him.

This time Ward couldn't contain his laughter, while Fitz reddened in embarrassment.

"Would you like to play too? We can find a costume for you" Skye offered, effectively ending Ward's laughter, while Fitz smirked at the specialist.

"Um, no that's alright," Ward hedged, "I was actually looking for Simmons. Coulson has a project for her."

"Oh dear! Why didn't you say so sooner? I've got change out of these outfit. Do you think you two can you to handle watching Skye for a bit?" Simmons asked the two men as she pulled off her gloves and slipped out of her high heels, anxious about making Coulson wait any longer.

"I guess not," Ward said as Simmons rushed out of the lab, leaving Fitz and Ward alone with the little Skye. "What would you like to do now?" Ward asked the little girl, hoping she'd come up with something much less humiliating than a tea party.

In the end it was Ward who devised their next activity after searching the lab for something to occupy the little girl (who was completely bored with dress up, and anything else that Fitz suggested), and discovering a case of tennis balls (which had no obvious purpose in the lab), and some nylon fabric. Fitz and Skye watched, fascinated, as Ward cut the fabric, grabbed a needle and thread and proceeded to sew the nylon fabric into the tennis ball, and then sewed around the edge of the fabric, making it into a tube.

"What is it?" Skye asked excitedly as she examined the finished product.

"It's called a Foxtail," Ward told her proudly. "My younger brother and I used to make them all the time." He couldn't help but remember the reason he'd had so much practice making them was because his older brother had taken great pleasure in destroying their toys whenever he had the change, but Ward banished those dark memories and focused on Skye and the wonder on her face as she held the toy.

"What does it do?"

Ward led Skye and Fitz out into the cargo bay so that he could demonstrate. "Well you hold on to the tennis ball and throw it to the other person. Depending on how they catch it they get points. You get the most points if you catch the tennis ball, and the least if you catch the very tip of the tail."

"Cool!" Skye exclaimed. "Let me try!"

Ward gently threw the tennis ball at Skye and she caught it in the middle of the nylon tail. Giggling she turned around and threw it at Fitz. Well, attempted to throw it. Her aim wasn't that good and Fitz ended up diving to the side in order to catch the end of the tail, much to Skye's amusement. Fitz retaliated by throwing it back to Skye, but sending it over her head so that she had to jump in order to reach the Foxtail.

And so the game continued, with Ward and Fitz doing their best to throw the toy directly to Skye, and then diving to attempt to catch her wild tosses, resulting in lots of giggles from the little girl. Eventually the trio became sillier and sillier, with the boys purposely missing the Foxtail, or jumping for it in a ridiculous fashion for Skye's amusement, while the little girl became more and more hyper with each throw, until finally Skye decided to forgo the 'traditional' way of throwing the toy and instead gripped the tail of the Foxtail and swung it around and around before launching it into the air. The guys watched in horror as the Foxtail sailed high up into the air towards the catwalk above the cargo bay, before slamming right into an unsuspecting Agent May.

TBC.

A/N:

Here is a link to see Skye's blue 'dress' at:

Amazon dot com /DressForLess-Organza-Mid-riff-Flower-KC1225WT-6/dp/B00JS9OOB0/ref=sr_1_12?s=apparel&ie=UTF8&qid=1399264844&sr=1-12

Also Foxtails are a product Klutz, but there are directions out there if you want to make your own.

Please Review!


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